Her red hair stands out amongst the Hogsmeade crowd. Severus Snape, not typically an emotional teenager (he had been taught from a young age to suppress his emotions by his father's incessant abuse of his mother) wanted to cry. Anyone would, especially if they were missing their best friend. In Severus's case, the blame happened to fall on his shoulders and there was no chance that he could ever restore his friendship with her.
The cool November wind was biting at him, nipping at his abnormally large nose (he hated that about himself) and blowing his greasy hair around (even though he showered every day, his hair would end up greasy. He didn't care about it anymore). There was a light dusting of snow on the grass and without the wind, the day would be pleasantly cool.
He tried to catch a glimpse of her entrancing emerald eyes, but as soon as her eyes met his, she turned away, a look of disgust on her face. This immediately broke Severus's heart as he realized that once more, she would not accept his attempts to reconcile with her. He squeezed his hands into tiny fists and tried to fight the urge to talk to her, but he knew that would just make her despise him even more.
His 'friends', Avery and Mulciber were already chatting up a storm at The Three Broomsticks. They had invited Severus there for a meeting of sorts with a familiar man called Lucius Malfoy. He had graduated Hogwarts three years ago and had joined a man who called himself Lord Voldemort. The so called 'Lord' promised to give all of his followers the power that they so desired. This meeting would be Severus's chance to shine; a chance for him to get noticed for who he is instead of who he is not.
The thought of power enticed Severus Snape. For so long he had been at the mercy of others, expected to perform their dirty deeds for them. He wasn't going to take that anymore; he wasn't that skinny, weak, and famished (for both food and affection) boy that he used to be. He was stronger now.
Yet, that familiar russet coloured hair was his weak spot. He associated it with both pleasant and horrid memories, but the jubilant memories outnumbered the negative ones. However, it was the horrible memories that he recalled most frequently due to the dishevelment of his life. Not only was his life a mess, but so were his relationships with his peers. While he stood out in the snow, no one took the time to talk to him or even interact with him. To Severus, that was both a positive and negative thing. He did not identify with the people that he was around, and yet there was some sort of loneliness that encapsulated his heart and made the greasy-haired boy wish Lily still wanted to associate with him.
The loud voices of his peers all around annoyed the sixth year to no end. They talked with such loudness that made it seem like their only intent was to incessantly annoy the boy. It didn't matter that they were at Hogsmeade for their first (or umpteenth) time, they should behave themselves like they would if they were in the presence of someone important. And that didn't include speaking as loud as possible, damn it.
He remembered the first time he had gone to Hogsmeade with Lily; it felt like such a long time ago. Both he and Lily were wandering around, taking in all of the sights and wonders that surrounded them. They were unfamiliar with the small wizarding village and this really opened both their eyes to what actual wizards acted like. Neither of them got that at home because Lily was a muggleborn, and Severus was, well, Severus.
"Sev, look at this! You can get Butterbeer here! Everyone keeps telling me how wonderful it is! We should try some," Lily blathered, excited. The red-haired girl was awestruck and amazed at all of the spectacles that she was seeing for the first time.
"I've heard my housemates talk about it," Severus added, craving it, "Except I don't have any money, my parents didn't send me any."
The russet-haired girl reached into her robe's pocket and pulled out an assortment of galleons, knuts, and sickles. "I can pay for you," Lily offered determination shining in her emerald eyes.
Severus sighed, "You don't have to pay, Lily. I'll be fine on my own," and moved some of his long hair to sit behind his ear. It was more comfortable that way.
"Severus, I insist. You don't get very much things at home," Lily adamantly insisted. Severus didn't bother to argue with her because he knew that he wouldn't win.
A blast of sharp cold wind made its way under Severus's robes and he shivered, missing Lily more than ever. He saw the red hair once more joined by circular glasses; it was Potter. A wave of jealousy rushed through Severus and at that moment, he hated the Potter boy almost as much as he despised his father. It simply wasn't fair! Severus understood that Lily didn't want him making the choices he did, but what choice did he have? There was no way for the greasy-haired boy to gain power in any other way. This opportunity would bring him the recognition and power that he desired, something that wouldn't happen any other way.
Being a half-blood Slytherin was so damn hard. He had to work two times harder than anyone else to achieve what other people had come naturally to them. All because of his blood status! His stupid mother had married an abusive muggle who manipulated her into never using magic. Potter had it easy; the boy got everything he ever wanted and never had his parents tell him 'no'. Severus sneered at that thought. Whenever Severus asked for something as a kid, the answer was almost always no. His family lived in extreme poverty.
"Lily..." Severus tried to argue, but stopped, realizing that his efforts were futile. Once Lily made her mind up about something, there was no changing it.
"Come on Sev," Lily grabbed her friend by the hand and practically dragged him to The Three Broomsticks. Inside the building, there was a large crowd of Hogwarts students but Lily managed to find a table that was empty. The two of them sat down and Lily ordered, "Two Butterbeers please."
The server nodded and wrote the order down and Lily handed her the two knuts. The drinks appeared on their table almost instantaneously and Severus grabbed it, the warmth of the cup contrasting with his ice-cold hands. He shivered, the sensation warming him from the outside in. When he took a sip, the liquid tasted like butterscotch, something his mom brought home once or twice. It warmed him and it was easily the best thing he had ever tasted.
"You like it?" Lily asked.
Severus nodded.
From then on, every time that they went to Hogsmeade, both Severus and Lily would get a butterbeer and talk about their lives. Severus knew that he was missing that and it hurt him to even think about it. A tear slowly trickled down his cheek but he wiped it away. He couldn't cry. He wasn't going to cry right before the best opportunity of his life.
The sixth-year straightened his body to make himself look as tall as possible and made his way to the Three Broomsticks, ready for his new life.
Words: 1261
House: Gryffindor
Year: 7 Stand-In
Category: Standard
Prompt: [Location] Hogsmeade